1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a structure to a body unit, such as a container, having standardized ISO corner openings in each corner of the body unit. The structure to be attached to the body unit is typically a wheel assembly, such as a demountable running gear, which connects with the body unit and elevates the body unit to form a wheeled land-transportable unit. The wheel assembly is releasably secured to the body unit.
2. Background Art
Over the years, a number of wheel assemblies, called demountable running gears, have been devised which provide for quick and easy attachment to a container whereby the container is elevated into a position for ground mobility. Typical wheel assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,968,490, 3,378,276, and 3,521,898, incorporated herein by reference. Such wheel assemblies are typified by a pair of wheels, rotatably mounted upon an axle, having a pair of support arms extending from the axle, in substantially parallel relationship, to pivotally engage upstanding frame members which, in turn, are secured to the container to be transported. Hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangements are connected between the support arms and the upper portion of the upstanding frame members, which cause a pivotable rotation between the upstanding members and the support arms. Such rotation elevates the container, thus providing a simple and convenient mechanism for making the container land transportable.
Various apparatus for attaching the demountable running gear to the container, or shelter, have been devised, as are shown in the above-mentioned prior art patents. Generally, the shelter had to be specifically adapted with mounting apparatus for attachment to the demountable running gear. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,898 (FIGS. 14-16), a particular adapter frame is provided for coupling with the demountable running gear, and mating with the shelter. In that particular embodiment, the shelter includes downwardly opening sockets, or recesses, which mate with a bracket attached to the adaptor frame structure. The frame structure includes apertures for bolting with tapped holes in the container.
In recent years, container designs have been standardized for transport by ships and flat bed truck trailers. Such containers include standardized corner fittings as shown and described in the International Standardization Organization (ISO) Standards Booklet, ISO 668-1979(E). These corner fittings typically include three perpendicular face plates which comprise the corners of the container. Each face of the corner fittings define substantially oblong openings, of standardized dimension.
The standardized containers with corner fittings (hereinafter sometimes called "ISO containers"), are adapted to be stacked on top of each other, or mated end-to-end, or in side-to-side relationship. Typically, an attachment apparatus is provided to join the corner fittings of one container to the corner fitting of an adjacent container. A typical attachment apparatus is manufactured by Line Fast Corporation of Holbrook, N.Y., and called a "Swing Loc Bridge", as depicted in Line Fast's data sheet DD717, sheets 1-4.
With the advent of the standardized ISO container, a need has arisen to make such ISO container land transportable in a manner similar to that shown in the above-mentioned prior art patents. It is thus desirable to provide an apparatus for attaching a demountable running gear to the present ISO containers.